A Journey in Sri Lanka
As a design student travel is always a welcome experience for it enriches the mind and helps us cultivate a new perspective. Such an exciting opportunity came up when we were in Sri Lanka to attend CULTURE CODE — Sri Lanka Design Week by Faculty of Architecture design students, University of Moratuwa (UoM).
Our visit to Sri Lanka was an enriching one and gave a new perspective on the role of design in a different country and what design means to its people. The Design industry in Sri Lanka works extensively with its rich cultural heritage and innovative ways of taking it forward among others.
Staying in Moratuwa, we got a look at the Design Department of UoM and the wide variety of creative work that happens there. Design in Sri Lanka is a beautiful amalgamation of traditional crafts with modern amenities.
The Design festival was hosted around the event of Display by Foundation students of their major projects and also conducted series of workshops and interesting talks throughout the week.
Since the festival was hosted in Colombo we also got a chance to explore the city as well, while attending the festival.
Design projects on display by the students gave an insight into the relevant design problems and directions there. Traditional crafts knowledge and learning played a great part in the output of the projects. Everyone had an innovative way of inculcating it in their projects.
The Design week, hosted at Independence Arcade Square, Colombo began with a series of talks and workshops. We attended talks by Praveen Nahar, NID faculty and eminent design studios like Colombo Design Studio and Balmond Studio from Sri Lanka. We got a good insight into the design scenario in Sri Lanka and their takes on it. Discussions around creativity, behavioral change and transcending from traditional to meaningful new, etc were held.
Afternoon workshop on systems thinking and wicked problems was organized by Praveen Nahar. We worked in mixed groups with students from UoM. It was an interesting experience of ideation and problem finding as there were new perspectives in picture on similar topics.
Few of the workshops I attended in the Design week were Paper manipulation and loom weaving. The Paper manipulation workshop was interesting as our approach started with a material and exploring how it work in different fold and patterns we made a structure.As a Product Design student, Loom Weaving was a learning experience. The loom I worked on was a triangular loom . It was nice experience to try our hands at different material and technique.
A Trip to Kandy
Next up we visited Kandy, one of the country’s most significant cultural and religious centers. Not only is it home to the country’s most holy relic, a tooth of Buddha, but the city also offers numerous wondrous attractions and a rich craft culture. We visited few of the famous temples in Kandy, local artisans in their workshops, craft village and Pinnawala elephant orphanage on our way back.
The moonstone was an interesting thing I came across in workshops and various places across Sri Lanka. Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka are graced by a half moon stepping stone at the entrance. These carved stones are called moonstones and have been used as religious imagery for centuries. These ancient carvings are now used in parks and modern temples due to their figurative and historic quality. Small moonstone carvings are made as souvenirs for tourists and small home shrines. They can be found carved in limestone or wood, in small to larger sizes.
We visited few temples in Kandy. One of them being the famous Sri Dalada Maligawa or the temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is considered to be one of the holiest places in Sri Lanka and is an important pilgrimage destination. The golden-roofed temple is supposedly home to a tooth of Buddha . The complex housing the temple and architecture inside were truly mesmerizing.
The temple visits were followed by a visit to the Crafts village in Nattarampotha where we got to visit a workshop and see the artisans at work.
Detailed work on metal plates, showpieces and other decorative items were being made.
Traditional wooden products and things of everyday use were being made. The process of colour application and carving to create designs on them was very interesting.
Apart from these, there also were workshops which made bags, worked with screen printing and metal model making in the same campus.
The detailing within each task gave an glimpse into the exquisite skill-set of craftsmen there. Also we got a look into processes and work behind the products that we saw around Sri Lanka.
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
On our way back from Kandy to Moratuwa we visited the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. During particular timings in a day elephants walk back and forth from the river to area where they are kept. The elephants inside are well taken care of.
Back from Kandy in Colombo, we had a Pecha Kucha session with students from UoM wherein me and my batchmates through our projects gave a small insight into the kind of work that happens at NID. It was a fun, interactive session and each one of us had 4–5 minutes to present our work.
One of the most interesting experiences of our stay and participation in Sri Lanka Design week was volunteering with Professor Praveen Nahar’s workshop for school children introducing them to Design Thinking. Working with school students was a unique experience in itself as the whole concept of design was new to them. The workshop was centered around a task of designing a water bottle in a group of 7–8 students as that is the product they are familiar with and interact on a daily basis. A lot of ideas, different perspectives, use of materials for different functions came up in the process. Each one of them had a very unique way of approaching the situation in question, yet as a group they ended up working very closely with one another to come up with one innovative product idea.
After an exciting week of workshops, talks and interactions Culture Code concluded with a phenomenal Finale Fashion Show organised by the students of UoM. The rich textile heritage of the country was reflected through the collection presented.
Apart from the Design Week we also got to explore the city of Colombo. The local people there were friendly and soft spoken. Food forms a big part of local culture there. In Sri Lanka we got to explore not only the local delicacies but also the Asian Cuisine.
As we moved around the city the mode of transportation was commonly tuk-tuk, the local autos. We visited Seema Malaka designed by known Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa, Gangaramaya Temple, Pettah floating market, Red mosque among other places. All these places left a lasting impression. The city and the monuments throughout represent a beautiful amalgamation of old and new.
The Independence Memorial
Seema Malaka
Gangaramaya Temple
Jami Ul-Alfar, The Red Mosque
Visiting Galle
On the last day of our stay we visited the city of Galle. The area that we primarily explored was the Galle fort. The Galle fort is a world heritage site and is the largest remaining fortess in Asia built by European occupiers. We visited the National Marinetime Museum and explored in the fort area. It is a beautiful place with Dutch architecture and a beautiful coast to compliment it.
An interesting finding in Galle was that we got to witness the making of Lace embroidery which is widely used in Sri Lanka and the technique behind it. The very intricate and delicate lace that is produced has a equally intricate process behind it.
The lanes were an delight to explore on foot. We came across beautiful houses with friendly locals, stylish cafes and quirky souvenir shops. This picturesque place leaves a lasting impression on you!
After a day well spent in Galle it was time to leave for India.
As I bade goodbye to the beautiful country, I took a lot a good memories with me from a country which is so similar yet so different from my own!
